An Auric Aesthetician Gave Me an Energetic Beauty Prescription—These 11 Things Are Now Nonnegotiables

I'm a Reiki healer who also happens to be a beauty editor. Because of this, I'm always open to any beauty practice that's considered even slightly woo-woo. Sometimes, the universe really delivers in this regard and sends me exactly my kind of people. I was introduced to auric aesthetician Mikaela MacLean by a good friend, and I immediately became infatuated with her. MacLean is a woman of many talents. First, she's a fellow Reiki healer and gifted aesthetician, and she's the host of the Beauty by Design podcast and lead educator for organic beauty brand LilFox. What I love even more about MacLean, though, is that she incorporates the study of human design into her practice and creates a totally unique experience for her clients, who can opt to receive a chart reading, energetic beauty prescription, and skin consult through her website.

I got the incredible opportunity to chat with MacLean about my own human design chart, and she even gave me a few beauty essentials I now consider holy-grail items. Not sure what human design is or how it can relate to your skin and overall health? Don't worry. MacLean gave me a bit more insight. If you love a bit of woo-woo energy in your beauty routine too, keep reading. I'm sharing my complete energetic beauty prescription and chat with MacLean below.

What is human design?

I love learning about as many esoteric and energy-based healing practices as possible, but I'll be honest with you. I didn't know much about human design until chatting with MacLean. She told me a bit more about what it is exactly. While it is complex and you'll probably want to work with a well-versed practitioner like MacLean to get the full picture, I found the reading I received extremely resonant.

MacLean explains, "It's a system that synthesizes esoteric wisdom from astrology, the I Ching, the kabbalah, and the Hindu-Brahmin chakra system with modern-day science—quantum mechanics, astronomy, genetics, and biochemistry. It's not a belief system. [It's] a science experiment involving your personal energy field. I think of it as astrology and self-development on steroids. It's a way to deeply understand and, more importantly, accept yourself. Why spend years on the therapist's couch, as I have, when you can learn your design and make sense of your life and, more importantly, heal with lightning speed? It uncovers things you may never get to through traditional means."

How does human design connect to beauty and skincare?

MacLean has a beautiful way of connecting our traditional ideas of beauty and skincare with the spiritual. She doesn't just consider the outward appearance of your skin when treating you—she looks at your entire energy field.

"I've been obsessed with outer beauty my entire life and worked in the field professionally for over 20 years," she says. "At some point, you realize focusing only on the external is never going to solve all of your problems—you have to begin looking inward for real peace and happiness. I see human design as a diagnostic tool for inner beauty, like I'm reading your 'lab results' from the universe. I can detect where your hang-ups and issues are coming from and help you exfoliate the unwanted gunk to reveal the beautiful energy you have underneath. If I'm in the treatment room, it's a topic of conversation with my client. I'll do energy work during their facial, selecting music, a yoga nidra, sound healing, essential oils, crystals, etc., based on their chart and what they are reporting as their concerns at that visit or even how the astrology of the moment is affecting them. I also do distance work—what I call 'auric facials'—where I'm doing it all remotely. Energy is not confined to time or space, and I love hearing back from people how much of an impact it has for them even though I didn't touch them in person."

This is truly the most comprehensive way to approach beauty and skincare. As a Reiki healer myself, I see a connection between mental, spiritual, and physical health. MacLean is one of a kind. Even though we're located in different states, I'm dying to get one of her auric facials.

My Energetic Beauty Rx

MacLean first started creating energetic prescriptions to support each particular design type. "My 'prescription' or Energetic Rx is what I've synthesized my work into over time—studying, collecting, and curating my 'energetic beauty pharmacy' full of energy-healing remedies," she says. "I'll write up a prescription of what they could benefit from at that time, again, based on their chart and current complaints. If someone is struggling with, say, anxiety, I can find the source in the chart and prescribe specific frequencies to listen to, physical practices to use, or other alternative modalities to help them. I have an extensive podcast, so I will also recommend episodes that they can listen, learn, revisit, and heal after our time together to continue the process. The prescriptions are an amazing way to make it all tangible, not just a theoretical concept. They help bring it out of the mind and into the body, where human design is meant to be lived."

There are five main types of designs in the human design system: generators, manifestors, manifesting generators, projectors, and reflectors. My human design is a reflector. Making up only about 1% of the population, reflectors are highly sensitive and intuitive beings who sample and reflect the energy of others around them. We almost reflect the energetic health of others back to them. For my particular design, MacLean had a few ideas and beauty recommendations. "I would suggest focusing on being the cleanest, clearest vessel you can be. Your sensitivity to the world around you benefits from constant exfoliation. As a lunar being, your moon gates hold significant importance (gates 57 and 31). This particular combination gives you a deeply wise, intuitive voice of leadership and influence."

Because I'm a reflector, MacLean also says that I'm extra sensitive to energy coming from others, the environment that I'm in, and even the astrological weather. Below are the items she recommended for me.